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Honoring Olga E. Kagan, an expert in second language and heritage language pedagogy and a colleague who was renowned for her dedication to professional development, the purpose of this grant is to support the professional development of Russian language instructors.
Two grants (up to $300 each) awarded annually will help offset the cost of professional development in language pedagogy. Eligible reimbursable expenses include travel to professional and academic conferences, conference registration fees, pedagogical workshops, and other professional development and/or training activities which focus on language pedagogy. Some suggestions are available here. In each grant period, the focus is on a specific group of Russian language instructors. The 2024-2025 grant period will support middle school and high school instructors of Russian. In 2025-2026 it will return to the post-secondary level. Requirements for the 2024-2025 grant period:
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This fund is made possible by generous donations by ACTR members, Olga's family, and Olga's colleagues outside of ACTR.
The 2023-2024 Selection Committee
Susan Kresin, UCLA (chair) Evgeny Dengub, USC Irina Dubinina, Brandeis U Kaylin Land, McGill U Aselle Almuratova, University of Wisconsin-Madison |
Olga Kagan (1947-2018) was a professor of Russian at UCLA for more than 30 years and directed both the UCLA International Institute’s Center for World Languages and the National Heritage Language Resource Center. She co-authored 11 Russian-language textbooks, as well as numerous articles and book chapters on the study and teaching of Russian as L2 and heritage language. A talented educator, a dedicated researcher, and a passionate advocate for bilingualism, she made fundamental contributions to the field of heritage language study and pedagogy. She served on the ACTR Board of Directors for many years and supported Russian language teachers both in the US and internationally through professional workshops, mentorship, and research collaborations.